Real Life Runners with Angie and Kevin Brown

As summer wraps up, and we gear up for another school year, it is important to make sure that the level of daily, weekly, and monthly organization increases.  Now, to be very honest, I am not the best with organization, but I see it’s incredible value. On the other hand, Angie is the master of organization and planning and keeps all of our lives running smoothly.   While I will rarely step up and...

How do I possibly fit it all in?  I feel like I am struggling to keep up right now with work and family...where am I going to find space for improved eating not to mention mental and physical personal health?  When trying to combine work and kids and fitness you can quickly feel overwhelmed. How do you make sure that every area is getting its attention? This episode covers the steps to regularly c...

What good is a running coach?  When Kevin started running, his high school coach was a coaching legend with decades of success.  When Angie began running to be a faster runner, she relied on Kevin. The coach creates the runner both physically and mentally.  They are like the artist carving the statue out of the rock. The mindset of a strong coach should be as Michealangelo stated: “Every block of...

  The marathon is quite the beast of a race.  Many runners set the marathon as a long term goal or the peak of their running achievement.   Others run a few every year while a rare few set out to run one in every state in the US or aim for global destinations.  Regardless of where you may fall on the spectrum from first race to hundredth, one thing is clear, the marathon is not easy.   Running a m...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN! The internet in filled with training plans designed for all sorts of race distances with the allure of magic paces and workouts to help you reach your peak.  In this episode we break down where these plans come from, what some of the vocabulary means, and hopefully educate you about how different paces can help you.   First, the plans come from well intentioned exercise physi...

What is a runner’s body? In the world of running, there are a lot of stereotypes about what runners look like or should look like.  Running used to be more of an elitist sport, not a sport of the masses like it is today. Today, running has become more accessible to so many more people and the “runner’s body” now takes on many more shapes and sizes.   However, that runner’s body stereotype hasn’t g...

Journaling is an incredibly healthy habit that seems to be done in some form by basically every successful person. In this episode we discuss journaling from two very different perspectives. Angie has always had her daily planner going back to at least high school.  It has helped to bring focus and structure with to-do lists. It has provided a source of reflection and a guideline to thanksgiving....

As much as we focus on training, goal setting, and lots of details to running improvement, sometimes it’s nice to step back and remember that all of this running is supposed to be fun.   There are days that we do need the big goals to get us through a rough patch that tends to show up during the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter. However, at the end of the day, your running should provi...

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.  After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.  This Buddhist statement about chopping wood and carrying water highlights the importance of fundamentals, no matter what stage you are at along your journey.   It is important to understand that improvement in running, health, or really any worthwhile venture happen over a long period of time and through m...

What's the point of training if you're not all-in?  Do you believe in your training plan?  Do you believe in your support system?  Do you believe in yourself?? Today's society seems to be overruled by FOMO, the fear of missing out.  People are always looking for the next best thing and don't want to be left behind.  People are always second guessing if what they are doing is th...

In this world of immediate gratification and all information at our fingertips, everyone wants a quick fix and immediate results.  Want to get in better shape? Try HIIT training. Want to get faster?  Try sprints. Want to lose weight? Try extremely restrictive diets. Want more money? Click one of those online ads to make $25k this month. Running isn't like that though.  Distance running is abo...

Summer is coming!  It’s important to be aware that heat and humidity can change running in many different ways.  Down here in Florida, we understand the importance of dealing with heat and humidity, but this is important no matter where you live. Let's review of what happens to body temperature when we exercise:  Body temperature goes up so the body sweats to try to cool it body temp down Bod...

Why am I so tired? Runners know what it is like to be tired.  As real life runners, with jobs, families, and other responsibilities, we definitely know what it is like to be tired.  But what exactly is fatigue? Scientists used to try to figure out what exercise-induced fatigue was through strictly physiological models.  They figured that the body just ran out of fuel at some point, which caused us...

What is food?  Food is fuel, but food is so much more than just fuel.  Food describes who we are, where we come from, and how we live our lives.  The choices that we make about our food are far-reaching and say a lot about us.  In today's episode we talk about:  What is food? How does food fuel us? What else does food do besides just fuel us? What is good nutrition? How is good nutrition diff...

Maybe you are one of those runners that never leaves the house without headphones.  Maybe you are one of those runners who can't stand the idea of having something in your ears.  We have each been both of those runners at one point in our running journey.  Which one is which now? There are definite benefits of running with music and definite benefits of running unplugged.  Which is better? To...

Sometimes racing goes well.  We have that day when we hit a PR and all is right in the world.  Then there are those days when it doesn't.  We don't hit our goal, we don't PR, and we feel like crap.   Kevin had one of those races this weekend and today we talk about what went wrong.  There a lot of gems in this episode, so we hope you like it.   We talk about:  Mental strategies to u...

In a world where everyone wants more all the time, is that really what is best?  When is more a good thing, and when is more just, more? This is a big pitfall for a lot of runners.  People get better and faster when they start adding more miles or more speed work, so they think that continuing to add more will continue to get them better and faster.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.   M...

We all want to look good, feel strong, and be in good shape.  That's why a lot of people start running in the first place.  However, while some people naturally lose weight in the process, it's not so easy for others. What gives?  If we start running, shouldn't the weight just fall off?  Unfortunately for most of us, that's not the case.  There are a lot of factors that go into...

Injury.  The runner’s nemesis. Sometimes it is avoidable.  Other times, it is not. Sometimes we trip and fall.  Sometimes the injury is a result of overtraining. Either way, many runners will find themselves needing to rebuild their mileage after injury.   Today, we talk about rebuilding speed and power after injury.  We start out with some tips on how to prevent those little aches and pain from t...

Make sure you stretch so you don’t get hurt!  Sometimes there is sage wisdom that can stand the test of time.  Other times, it’s just a training method that has been passed down for years without anyone actually questioning the point.  As real life runners, we are often pressed for time when working out. We hate wasting time with any activity that does not have an actual benefit on performance.  ...

In this episode, we discuss the benefits and difficulties that come from being a new runner.  While new runners are able to quickly adapt to new stresses on the body, everything is a new stress and that greatly increases the chance of an injury.   New runners tend to get caught in a couple of traps. Recognizing the pitfalls will hopefully help any new runners, or runners that seem to have plateaue...

There are so many terms floating around in the world of food nowadays - paleo, vegan, vegetarian, plant-based - what the heck do they all mean?  In this episode, we try to provide some clarity on several terms inside the food and diet community.   As a teacher, I often get education companies emailing me about their products and one that caught my eye was a vocabulary company.  They asked what app...

When it comes to getting anything done in our day, we need a reason.  The more challenging and new a task is, the greater reason, motivation, and focus we need to accomplish that task.  So many people are able to start a new exercise plan or healthy eating lifestyle, but fall back to old habits after a few weeks.  When a race or a workout gets tough, knowing your reason for why you are doing it he...

In general, running tends to be a very numbers-oriented sport.  If you gather a group of runners together, it won’t take long before people start comparing PR’s.  Check out a runner’s social media feed and you will find lots of mileage, times, and paces.  While there is nothing exactly wrong with this, it can lead to some negative thinking and undue stress.   Today we discuss how treating running...

The big race is over.  You've been training for months, and now it's done.  Maybe you met your goal, maybe you didn't.  Now where do we go from here? Angie just finished her second half marathon ever, and her first as a mother of 2 last weekend.  Keep in mind, our youngest child is 5 1/2 years old.  :) It took awhile, but she did it.   Today's episode is basically a coaching ca...